It has been a while since I have made my last picks. Basically, I could not have dreamt up what has been going on lately, in my world and football world. Nearly everything you can find in a football dictionary has been happening, flourishing and feeding every football fans hunger and lust as well as tears and fears in the last couple of weeks - depending on which side you are on. So, with loads to choose from, I have picked what I feel have been the best and worst, the most crucial, decisive and important results, goals, actions and moments in the Premier league over the last three weeks.
Top Games: Liverpool's 4-4 draw with Arsenal was a throat-drying, voice-erasing nail-biter that led to dizziness and loss of score-who-what-how-when-orientation at times, especially at the end. Unforgettable.
Manchester United's wins at the Riverside and at home against Tottenham may have looked cruel to some, especially the oppositions' fans, but were the most crucial wins and deciders to whom the title will go and just showed with what quality and resistance United can hit back when there is just a hint of doubt in the air about their display and success.
West Brom's comfortable home win against Sunderland will not fool them out of relegation, but was great to see they have not lost their spirit. Good and refreshing for the game, less so for Sunderland who are still not completely freed of relegations worries.
Top Teams: Their runs say it all, Liverpool and Arsenal have only dropped 2 points out of their last 6 matches - and that was in the 4-4 crunching thriller-delight against each other they gave us mentioned above. With most of the spectators, fans and experts having written off their chances weeks ago to challenge the title or a direct Champions League qualification place respectively, it is great to see them keeping up the pace and that last glimmer of hope and chance to take that spot off their rivals after.
Same goes for Manchester United and Chelsea. Despite suffering more defeats, they have hit out goals, goals, goals and beauties of them when they were most needed. Manchester City and Tottenham need mentioning as well, who follow the top four with four wins of their last six matches and credit to their managers to getting them where they are after taking them over in worrying times a glance away from the relegation places.
Top Managers: As mentioned above, Harry Redknapp and Mark Hughes have come through a critical crunch-crisis time well and productively. I am looking forward to what we will get from them next season. I feel sorry for Ricky Sbragia and Alan Shearer, who have taken over two failing and falling teams and want to compliment and praise them on how they have been doing their job, staying realistic and withstanding all the doom and gloom well. I feel Roy Hodgson stays too unnoticed for the good job he is doing at Fulham and his positive but straight, realistic and honest way that more managers should take on. Same goes for Gianfranco Zola. I loved him as a player and he is establishing himself as manager slowly but well and surely now, too.
Top Players: There are always the obvious top picks like Torres, Gerrard, Rooney, Ronaldo; so, I feel no need of doing that here. Andrey Arshavin is another obvious pick after his quadruple versus Liverpool. I feel Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun have have run their socks and heads of for their side and deserve the recognition as main players and contributors in the Reds' title just as much and many times as the players named above get it. Same goes for Ryan Giggs. I was surprised he has not won the PFA player of the year award more often. He too often slipped behind the main players' media persona whilst being the backbone of the team for a very long time now. After a lot of criticism, Robinho has showed how crucial he is to his side against Everton helping his side to their first away win since August scoring and setting one up. With all his ups and downs, Man City can be happy with his season contribution overall and can only hope for more of it next season.
Top Goals: There have been so many, but stuck in my memory especially are Xabi Alonso's rebound bullet against Hull and Ryan Giggs' fine strike against Middlesbrough. Both goals Cesc Fabregas scored against Middlesbrough were beauties, too, not just the execution and cool, quality and unstoppable conversion of them, but also the exemplary team work and fine passing combination that led to them.
Flop Games: Manchester United's five-goal sinking of Tottenham was a shocking shame after seeing the first half Spurs enjoyed. The second half was shambles, and a worrying collapse by the London side after the mistaken penalty decision. Never nice to watch - unless you were a United fan of course. Hull's defeat to Sunderland surprised me after the Black Cats suffered a defeat against West Brom the week before, I thought the Tigers would be able to capitalise and get three crucial points to keep them safe, but, fool me.
Flop Teams: After their promising start to their first season in the top tier of English football, I think Hull City have made the biggest collapse of them all. Four defeats in a row, five out of the last six alone, against fellow strugglers amongst others that served them chances for points they should have grabbed for survival. Newcastle face the possibility of sinking down and out of the Premier League, too, for the first time since they won promotion to the newly-branded FA Carling Premiership 16 years ago. Alan Shearer is no miracle man, I feel sorry for him to be given that role but he has been coping well under the circumstances I feel.
Flop Managers: Phil Brown, Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez are all guilty of mouthing off accusations, assumptions and excuses for anything that could affect their team and kick off a conflict that they hope will distract their opposition and cause them to slip up and distract from their own leaks and errors. I just call that acts of childish, bad losers which I hate to see and listen to. Just concede your mistakes and laud the other teams success and quality and learn from them for the next encounter. The more respect and awe you earn from everyone.
Flop Players: Joey Barton has without a doubt used up his chances and opportunities to make up for his past offences and mistakes with his sending off against Liverpool. A line has to be drawn, full stop. Otherwise, young kids and players-to-be watching could be given the wrong idea of the game.
All the whining, crying and diving world players like Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo have been doing on a too regular bases, is made worse by the fact they are supposed to be the top and icons of the sport. Please, keep on your breathtaking play but lose your crybaby and spoilsport sides of character otherwise you will lose out on the respect and recognition you deserve as players of your quality and talent.
Flop Goals: David James' howler against Arsenal was a cringe and laugh - depending which side you are on. Liverpool's defensive leaks have not helped their title challenge of late, but on the other side of the pitch they have been scoring enough to keep them collecting crucial points. But still, it should not distract and take the attention away from their defensive problems, which is very unlike the red Merseysiders.
Flop Refs: Again and again, referees turn a blind eye or just blatantly cannot see from where they are standing on decisions that make out matches and the teams' season in the end. Be it corners, offsides, free kicks, bookings, sending offs or penalties - they are all crucial decisions that can lead to goals or should be goals that can change the run of play and decide results and the teams' destiny in the league. Why they have not introduced the video backup yet, I do not know! What does it take to have a look at a quick replay? At this decisive crunch time of the season, it has become more and more evident how desperate the game and sport is to introduce video replays to refereeing.
My Predictions - Actual Results
Aston Villa 1:0 Hull - 1:0
Liverpool 4:0 Newcastle - 3:0
Sunderland 1:1 Everton - 0:2
Chelsea 0:0 Fulham - 3:1
Man City 2:0 Blackburn - 3:1
Middlesbrough 2:2 Man Utd - 0:2
Portsmouth 2:3 Arsenal - 0:3
Stoke 2:2 West Ham - 0:1
Tottenham 1:0 West Brom - 1:0
Wigan 1:0 Bolton - 0:0
Newcastle 1:1 Portsmouth - 0:0
Arsenal 3:0 Middlesbrough - 2:0
Blackburn 2:2 Wigan - 2:0
Bolton 2:1 Aston Villa - 1:1
Everton 2:0 Man City - 1:2
Fulham 0:0 Stoke - 1:0
Hull 1:2 Liverpool - 1:3
Man Utd 1:0 Tottenham - 5:2
West Brom 1:1 Sunderland - 3:0
West Ham 1:1 Chelsea - 0:1
Chelsea 2:2 Everton - 0:0
Man Utd 2:1 Portsmouth - 2:0
Liverpool 1:1 Arsenal - 4:4
Man City 2:0 West Brom - 4:2
Tottenham 2:1 Newcastle - 1:0
Aston Villa 1:0 West Ham - 1:1
Middlesbrough 1:3 Fulham - 0:0
Portsmouth 2:2 Bolton - 1:0
Stoke 2:0 Blackburn - 1:0
Sunderland 1:1 Hull - 1:0
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